Style A to Zee: Fashion Bloggers

My managing editor, Sara, and I have a monthly ritual. It basically runs like this: I start procrastinating on writing my column, deadline looms, Sara writes me a friendly e-mail asking, "Anything yet?" and I write back, "Yes! Soon! Almost done!" when, in fact, I haven't started at all. Instead, I'm shuffling through the hallways, ducking in and out of people's offices, and asking assistants innocuous, irrelevant questions as if they were a matter of life or death. After several hours, Sara hunts me down, escorts me back to my office, and locks the door. Now that is love, folks.

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This month, however, I thought, Why not make it easier for both me and for Sara? I can skip solitary confinement, and she doesn't need to stand guard at the door. Instead, I would do my entire column in 140 characters or fewer.

Yes—140 characters! Or fewer!

You see, for the past few weeks I have been living in Twitterworld, a crazy universe where life exists in measured quips. Just say what you need to say in its allocated space or you're cut off. And this is where, as I've explained to many non-Tweeters, the real editor comes out in me: choosing words carefully and concocting a new, mashed-up vocabulary while tossing all grammar rules out the window. It's blurb living at its best. And so apropos for this issue, too—our annual Personal Style Issue—in which I've decided to focus on the virtual community by highlighting the look of those who cover fashion online, and some beyond. So why wouldn't I do my column as a Tweet? Here's how it would go: "For this Personal Style Issue, I cover the personal styles of those who cover style online. How you go from laptop to nightcap? You'll see!"

139 characters! With one to spare!

It's no secret that in that past few years, we've come to rely on blogs for any and all kinds of information. Breaking news now happens in sound bites and is readily available to anyone with a handheld. Where fashion was once covered by insiders in long-form journalism, diehards can now report it and gain a huge legion of followers just by showing the shoes in their closets. It's become as easy as that. But covering this world still requires someone to be knowledgeable and, one hopes, fashionable, despite spending most of the day seated in front of a computer (and for some, lying in bed). For these bloggers, fashion happens all day, every day. And they work and then work some more, while having looks that work. So in my tribute to these 24-7 cyberheroines—some irreverent, some hard-hitting, and some just plain fun—we share their personal style for working...and working late. (Hint: Like all true fashionistas, they all opted for black after five!) But in the end, they are the reason I can kick back this month and not have Sara follow me. At least in the hallways. I'd rather have her follow me ( @mrjoezee) on Twitter.

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